Holland Lop Rabbit Coat Color Gene A

Holland Lop Genetics And The Agouti Gene

The “a” gene comes in three forms: “A,” which is responsible for agouti rabbits; “at,” which is responsible for otters, tans (rare in Holland lops) and martens; and “a,” which is responsible for “self” colored rabbits.

The agouti rabbits include chestnut, opal, chinchilla and ermine, among others.

The most common four colors of Holland Lops are self colors (produced by the “a” gene). They are black tortoiseshell (also referred to as “tortoiseshell” or just “tort”), blue tortoiseshell (likewise “blue tort”), black and blue. Other self colors include sable point, smoke pearl and seal.